Richland Grove Township

Richland Grove Township

Alvin and Abner Arrasmith were the first settlers in this township. They arrived September i, 1834, from the Wabash country, and laid claims on section 13. Thev were located about a mile and a half north and a little east of the Village of Berlin, where Swedona was afterwards located. They made the first trail, it is stated, from Richland Grove to Rock Island. In 1835 Wesley Arrasmith, Sr., Abner and Alvin Arrasmith and Thomas Sellers constituted the only settlers. By the summer of 1836 there was quite a cluster of cabins around the grove and among the owners were Russell, Henry, George and John Peckenpaw, Hugh Montgomery, Van Meter, John and George Love, Samuel Clark and Peter Metzler. About the same time a Mr. Huyck arrived. His daughter at a later date married Samuel Clark. Charles Minnick came in about this time. He was an educated German and proved very useful to the new settlement, because he probably taught the first school in the township. L. D. Dimmick and Levi Shaw were among the first to settle in what became the Village of Berlin. This was about 1835 or 1836. The latter married a daughter of Peter Metzler and raised a large family, which became prominent in the affairs of the township. N. M. Chilberg came in quite early and settled in the Village of Berlin. He was one of the first Swedish settlers in the county, arriving here in 1849. Soon afterwards many others of the nationality came in and a large settlement was formed by them in Richland Grove Township.

The first house in the township was erected by Abner Arrasmith on the southwest quarter of section 13. Asa McMurtry opened the first store in what afterwards became Berlin. The second was conducted by Willis Peckenpaw. The first blacksmith shop was opened by Lewis Larrance and the second by Luther Barnard. Chauncey Stannard was an early settler here and taught the second school in the township. The log house stood on the farm of Peter Metzler.

Stowers, Thomas Chires, Sr. and Jr., William Parker, Hugh Mc- Mullen, Almond Wilcox, James Manning, Daniel Valentine and a few others. The next year there arrived the following: James Glenn, Alden Pierce, Alfred Dorsee, Parker Tinney, William Lowthen Jonathan Smith and Albert Merryman. In 1838 there came in Thomas J. Jordan, John A. Jordan, John Rhodenbaugh, Lucius Dimmick, L. F. Langford, Joseph B. Trego, John Morey and Abner Van Meter. As the years passed others arrived until by the early '40s the township was pretty well settled up. The soil was rich and well watered, was known to be underlain with coal, had large timber tracts and was considered a desirable place for a farmer's home. Late in the '30s churches and schools were started and roads were laid out and partly opened to the principal cities.. Mr. Dimmick was quite wealthy and became prominent. The following incident is related concerning him : He succeeded in securing a rude machine for cutting wheat and concluded, therefore, to sow a large amount, which he did, and then immediately the question arose how to market it. The yield was enormous, but he could not haul it to Chicago, because it would require too many trips. That was the only near market. However, he finally concluded to build a flatboat on the Mississippi, which he did at the little town called Stevenson, now Rock Island. There he hauled his wheat and shipped it in bulk to St. Louis, where he sold it at a price so low that it did not pay expenses. He was the first one probably to retire from active business, which he did in 1851. The township was first called Arrasmith, but a few years after that family had moved away the settlers at a public meeting changed the name to Richland Grove.

Berlin was laid out by Abner Arrasmith and Jacob Walker on September 10, 1836. It was located on the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section 24. In 1869 the name of the village was changed to Swedona and nearly the entire original plat has been vacated in recent years. In this village, as before stated, Asa Mc- Murtry was the first storekeeper and Willis Peckenpaw the second. It was located on the state road between Knoxville and Rock Island and became a thriving village, having at one time a population of about five hundred. The name Swedona was adopted under the following circumstances: There was another town of that name in the state, whereupon a meeting of the village trustees was held and it was decided to change the title. S. F. Fleharty suggested the name Laverne and Leander Chilberg suggested Swedonia. The latter seemed a little too long and was shortened to Swedona, which was finally adopted. Dimmick & Shaw were among the first settlers in the village. Peter Metzler also lived here. A tavern was erected on the south side of the village and had a large patronage from people passing on the road from the Wabash country to the United States land office. Mr. Dimmick owned much of the town and a large farm adjoining. N. M. Chilberg located in the village at an early date. Soon afterward many other Swedes arrived and soon the population was almost wholly Swedish. Mr. Chilberg conducted a shoe shop. The first church there was the American Methodist Episcopal and is still standing in the village. There is no doubt that had it not been for this church the Village of Berlin or Swedona would long ago have been wiped out of existence. Griffin Brothers established tile works on section 34 in the '70s. They soon had a large trade, securing their clay from banks in that vicinity. In the '50s Waugh & Ellis put up a new flour mill in this vicinity and operated it by steam. It was 40x84 feet, three stories high and had four run of stones. George Walker was the miller in charge. They were called the *Richland Grove Steam Mills. Waugh & Ellis at the same time conducted there a large general store, selling almost all articles kept usually for sale in all stores in the West. They also mined coal and sold it to those who wished to purchase. The store was kept in one part of the mill and was patronized heavily in 1858. In the early '6os Mrs. Collison was murdered in Richland Grove Township by John Volentine. The latter had been drinking heavily at a saloon and may not have known what he was doing. In any event, he was arrested, tried and acquitted.

At first Berlin had no saloons, because the first settlers bitterly opposed them. A little later some half dozen started up there until they became a serious matter. At last, in 1866, a large temperance meeting was held in the public schoolroom, on which occasion J. A. Forsythe served as chairman and S. F. Fleharty as secretary. George Eckley, S. F. Fleharty and Miss E. Jennie Garret were appointed a committee on resolutions, and while they were out the meeting was addressed by Reverends Weigrin and J. J. Fleharty and G. D. Bowling, all of whom declared that liquor selling in that community should stop. The resolutions recited that the object of the meeting was to adopt effective legal measures to suppress the sale of liquor and provided for a committee of five to carry out the purposes of the meeting. One of the resolutions ran thus : "That the members of the executive committee shall be at liberty to adopt any method that they may deem expedient to effect the object for which they are chosen. Nevertheless, it is expected that they will proceed judiciously and with due moderation, yet with a firm determination to accomplish their prupose." The resolutions were adopted and were signed by seventy-three residents, men and women, of that community. The executive committee chosen were George Eckley, W. F. Garrett, N. M. Chilberg, D. D. Merryman and L. N. Peyton.

The name of the postoffice at Berlin in early times was Center Ridge, because there was another Berlin in the state. When the name was changed to Swedona the postoffice took that name. In early times, and as well as in 1880, horse thieves were numerous in this section of the county. This led to a horse thief protective association, which had been in existence for many years and was presided over during his lifetime by Samuel Clark. In 1871 the-society numbered eighty members, and at that time Mr. Clark was president; D. Mowery, vice president; Byron Jordan, secretary; Dr. J. K. Manning, treasurer; George McCandless, J. A. Jordan, Warner Kinsey, T. L. Jordan and John McCandless, directors. This association was one of the most efficient and thorough ever organized in Western Illinois. They made it a point not to give up until they secured the thief. They made a special study of detective work and of quick action to head off and capture thieves. They were in collusion with all the livery stables for a hundred miles around. They held annual meetings in January. It was said at one time that not one of the members lost anything, even though it had been stolen, because the association would recover the property and punish the thief.

By 1880 Swedona was quite a thriving little village. The coal mines in that vicinity were very important and a branch railroad had come and with it many miners and a large number of stores and shops. The church societies and schools were in operation and various lodges and societies sprang into existence. One of the most important was the Swedona Literary Society, established in 1883, and with a membership limited to thirty. To this belonged many of the best people of the village. Meeings were held at the residences and very enjoyable times were had. Doctor Lawhead was president for many years. Upon the death of Samuel Clark in January, 1883, the Richland Grove Vigilance Committee, at their twentv-fourth annual meeting, passed suitable resolutions expressive of their grief at this loss. He had served as president for twenty-five years and during that period was never absent from an annual meeting. D. Mowery was elected president in his place. The Swedona Creamery was an important industry early in the '90s. It made at one time 900 pounds of butter per week and had new and up-to-date machinery, and purchased from 8,000 to 10,000 pounds of milk every day.

The Village of Cable was esatblished to meet the coal conditions of the early times. There were two mines in that vicinity that had an annual output of about eighty thousand tons, and 400 men were kept constantly employed. They had eight mining machines, each of which performed the labor of about six men. This coal was transported over the new railroad to Rock Island and thence throughout the western country. Robert Lee was one of the first superintendents in charge of the mines here. The place started back in the '6os with a small store and a few shops, and became a village proper in 1879. The first trustees were Robert Haddick, M. L. Bell, C. E. Clark, W. R. Pelton, Chris Schwartz, and Alexander Clark. John M. Waugh was the first clerk. At the first town election a total of sixtv-three votes were cast. Bv March, 1880, the village had a population of about one thousand. Three years before, the town site was a rough, barren coal tract, with only a few small houses. Around were rugged hills and lovely valleys. Philander Cable of Rock Island had prospected here and had made the discoverv of easily workable coal banks in this vicinity. Accordingly he purchased 600 acres and built the railroad from the junction at Reynolds to this point. Immediately business of all sorts sprang into existence until Cable was one of the most active and prosperous villages in western Illinois. There were at one time over twentv business houses, shops, stores, saloons, etc. Coal mining was the principal occupation and was carried on by three companies - Cables, R. B. Ellis and Mr. Peterson. The Cables employed about one hundred and fiftv men and shipped from two to three hundred tons per day. They paid out to their workmen close to seven thousand dollars a month. In March, 1880, they sank two more large shafts and increased their operations until their pay roll amounted to about ten thousand dollars a month. At this time the saloons became so troublesome that a desperate effort was made for their removal, but the saloonkeepers were doing so well among the miners that they made a desperate resistance and in the end managed to remain. The

Congregationalists had an organization here in 1880, but no building as yet. Public schools sprang quickly into activity, with Pliny M. Pierce as teacher. Previous to that the schools here had been in name more than anything else. T. H. Groshel was the manager of P. L. Cable & Company's store. Dr. J. R. Roseberry was here at this time.

At the town election in the spring of 1880 the question was license or no license. At that time there were but two licensed saloons here. Francis J. Adams and wife had been here for some time working on the temperance movement and had secured 175 names of residents who opposed any saloon licenses. The work resulted temporarily in closing the saloons, but soon afterwards others started up until in a short time the liquor dealers were as numerous and prosperous as ever. In 1883 the village had several saloons. Dr. Ray practiced here at that time. Greenwood & Von Ach kept a general store. At that time five teachers were needed in the public schools. Winnie Thompson conducted a millinery establishment. J. B. McFarlane was principal of the schools, and Mary Johnson, Jennie Lee and Mary Lee, assistants.

In 1890 Cable was still growing rapidly and during that year up till the last of December paid out on new buildings and building improvements a total of $28,000. During the year the city spent about fifteen hundred dollars on streets, sidewalks, city lights, etc. New buildings were erected by Henry Irwin, W. F. Schroeder, Frank Hauton, R. B. Edis, Julius Leidtke, August Wallgren, Aurelius Peterson, Theodore Blinkensop, Eric Enwall, James Reed, E. Topper, B. A. Johnson, William Powell, Charles Liljemann, Charles Samuelson, Alfred Swartz, Axtel Johnson, Frank Campbell. Gus Thor, Ludwic Sward, William Haddick, William Tomlinson, George Jacobson, Hubert Ford, John Verderber, H. Williams, Jacob Fruchtenich, John Lalstrom, Johnson Brothers, J. J. Williams, Albert Odeen, John Murling, William Henderson, W. L. Haddick and Peter Johnson. B. A. Johnson conducted a livery and feed stable; John Lawson was a blacksmith; John Sward kept a hotel; George Wagner opened and managed an opera house. The Catholic church was established before this date. F. Rathbun sold agricultural implements; Dunglegarth & Hebbeln were coopers; Hugh & Son had an implement store, as did R. R. Cable & Company. The town was very prosperous and promising at this date. It had its building boom at this time. There were two barbers, two milliners, many dressmakers, two confectionery shops, a restaurant, etc. Mr. Brown was justice of the peace.

The Bank of Cable was conducted in the '90s by Evans & Jones, but assigned in December, 1895, and C. A. Samuelson of Sherrard was appointed to wind up the business. The assets were about twenty-one thousand dollars and the deposits amounted to sixteen thousand dollars. L. D. Thomason helped to wind up the affairs of the bank. Mr. Jones of the bank was finally arrested upon the charge of having received deposits after he knew the bank was insolvent. In recent years the town has not been as prosperous as it formerly was.

In 1914 Cable had a population of about three hundred and sixty. It was a money order office. S. C. Bell kept a general store; J. T. Hebbeln sold lumber; George Lawson, Jr., kept a hardware store; Cyrus Minnick conducted a restaurant, and William Tomlinson owned a small confectionery shop. Cable was duly laid out in 1897 by the Coal Valley Mining Company and was located on section 21.

The Village of Sherrard was duly acknowledged May 1, 1894, and was laid out by Ransom R. Cable and H. B. Sudlow, and located on section 4. Since that date several additions to this town have been made. The coal branch of the Chicago, Rock Island 6c Pacific Railroad was extended east from Preemption to section 4, where the new coal shaft was sunk ninety-three feet deep, under the direction of David Sherrard, who platted forty-four acres there and commenced the Town of Sherrard about two and a half miles east of Cable. One of the first industries here was the Richland Grove Creamery, which ran during the cold weather of 1893-4, three days in the week. It ground feed for the farmers the other three days. During February, 1894, they paid $903 for cream and one day in April purchased 6.000 pounds of cream. Thev operated two separators. In the spring of 1894 it was made a postoffice. Other coal shafts were sunk, every one being about two hundred feet deep. In May, 1894, six houses were going up at one time. The first lots were sold in May, and by January 1, 1895, there were fifty houses, nearly all of them occupied by miners and their families. There were two lumber yards, two hotels, one livery stable, and a Congregational church was organized. P. L. Jones and G. M. Jones, of the firm of Evans & Jones, built a large hotel at that time. It was 44 by 50 feet, three stories high and contained twenty-eight rooms. It was steam heated and gas lighted. The banking firm of Evans & Jones started up at this time. In November, 1895, the village voted on the question of incorporation, there being cast forty-four votes for incorporation and fifty-five against it. The question was voted down because many of the voters did not desire to include within the town limits certain tracts of land which they thought should remain outside.

The Sherrard Banking Company began active operations early in 1896. David Sherrard was president; John A. Wilson, vice president; J. T. Vernon, cashier; directors, Charles Kinsey, T. A. Vernon, J. G. Clark, E. E. Sincox, Frank Sherrard and Alfred Lilliman. The bank formally opened for business on the first Monday in February. A Knights of Pythias lodge was organized here about this time. The Aledo knights went up there and carried into effect the organization.

Since 1900 the village has done well, is prosperous and will continue to be so as long as the coal beds hold out. The temperance question has been an important one in recent years. Four citizens were indicted for selling liquor against the law in 1909. The village has made many improvements and is now one of the most progressive and active in western Illinois.

In 1910 a new bank was established there, with a capital of $25,000. C. A. Samuelson became president and Fred N. Settdahl cashier. It was organized under the state law and the stockholders generally were farmers in that neighborhood.

Sherrard in 19 14 had a population of 906. The business concerns were: Clark Brothers, livery; Robert Davison, hardware and stoves; Thomas Davison, blacksmith; Mrs. E. Greer, restaurant; Home Mutual Telephone Company; Johnson & Carlson, general store; A. Mueller & Son, general store; H. O. Mumma, furniture and undertaker; Nels Nelson, tailor; Charles E. Peterson, printer; J. G.

Peterson, poultry; E. J. Quaintance, meat; C. A. Samuelson, hardware and lumber; Sherrard Lumber & Grain Company, lumber and grain; V. S. Sherrard & Son, harness; H. K. Skyles, drugs; S. F. Trego, restaurant.